Tag: Spirituality

Each year on March 8, it’s International Woman’s Day. The theme of 2017 is: Be BOLD for change. And unfortunately, even after so many decades of action, the female principle is still underestimated…

International Woman’s Day: Be Bold for Change

It is not easy to be bold, whether you are born into the male or within the female gender. Everybody wants to be loved and accepted. I have been in tears several times when people criticise things I write on Mindfunda.

Yes, I know that is weak. But it is also a sign for me that I put my heart and soul into these blogs. This is my life’s work so far. My digital footprint that I will leave behind on this earth.

Cartoon: Speedbump.com

So how do you do that? Be bold for change? My suggestion: embrace the feminine aspects in your self. In this blog you can read about this journey in more detail.

International Woman’s Day: Embrace the Heroine

In 1990, 27 years ago (!!!), Maureen Murdock re-wrote the journey of the hero from Joseph Campbell into the journey of the heroine.

You see the first (devastating) step: to separate from the feminine. Every woman will remember that awkward moment when others told her that girls are stupid, or incapable of being good athletes, or inferior in any other way.

“Don’t throw like a girl” my father said and he demonstrated a very clumsy way of throwing a ball.

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I felt embarrassed. I certainly wanted to proof I was better than that. And that embarrassment about being born into the “wrong” gender is still roaming around. After all those years…

International Woman’s Day: No Role Models

Understanding why so little has changed in thirty years is not easy at all. But look at this film from Rebel Girl.

Click to see the film

As you can see, books do not provide really good role models for girls to take faith into their own hands, and Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls makes an effort to change this.

But as we book lovers found out, people read fewer books. YouTube has taken over the world. (I can recommend my channel: you will learn a lot from all the nice interviews I have uploaded there).

In this visual oriented world, what is a woman to do?

International Woman’s Day: Wear Red

Another Be Bold Initiative is “A Day Without A Woman“. You don’t know what you got till you lose it! If women do not show up for (unpaid) work, their economic power and significance will be highlighted.

If you dress today, wear the colour red. Red is a color that is associated with revolutionary love and sacrifice.

Let’s honour our inner feminine side, men and women everywhere. Let’s make each other stronger and support the qualities we can give the world.

In the end, it is up to us to make the world an enjoyable place.

THIS CONTENT IS CREATED BY SUSANNE VAN DOORN, AUTHOR AND OWNER OF MINDFUNDA; MAKING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PSYCHOLOGY, MYTHOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY EASY TO USE IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE!

What is Mindfunda about?

My name is Susanne van Doorn, I am a Dutch psychologist, blogger and author. I have been working with psychology, dreams and mythology ever since I finished my study in psychology at Tilburg University. I made this independant site to share insights, and recent scientific articles about the brain, dreams, and mythology for use in your personal life.

This posting is categorised as Spirifunda:psychology for everyday with a spiritual layer of meaning, searching for the soul. Our brains are wired for believe in magic. In a world filled with rationality, you sometimes need a little magic, a little “I wonder why”. Synchronicity, the insights of Carl Jung, the mythology used by Freud, the archetypical layers in the Tarot, the wisdom of the I Tjing, Shamanism, the oldest religion of humanity, all that information gets published in the Spirifunda section of Mindfunda.

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Let’s celebrate the start of spring together! I want to invite you to join me on Mindfunda for a spring dream time celebration. This celebration is a part of my new online courses about Norse Mythology. Are you ready to join on March 20?

Start of Spring: a Promise of Fertility

After a period of darkness and hunger, the light comes back again. The lack of sun produced Vitamine D has caused your body to store more fat than you would like to admit.

Cartoon: Metzger

In Norse Mythology, Freya, whose name is sometimes spelled as Freyia, is the Queen of love and fertility. But she is more than just beauty and boobs. She is “a goddess of witchcraft, seiðr (soothsaying), initiation, fate, death, wisdom and shape-changing” (Maria Kvilhaug in The Seed of Yggdrasil).

In this first lesson, that starts on the first day of spring March 20, you will get a more information about Freya. You will learn how she is connected to fertility and love, you will learn about her independency. You will discover how she is the goddess of faith.

Start of Spring: Shape – Shifting

Freja, Lady Sovereign, is a shape shifter. Many of you dreamers have had dreams in which you where another gender or another creature. Some of you have even shape – shifted during (lucid) dreams.

Springtime is the time for new life to come into being. Going into being is only possible by shape shifting.

By Arthur Rackham the image was published in: Wagner, Richard (translated by Margaret Amour) (1910).

How are you shaped shifting? In your life and in your dreams? Do you dare to change your form? Welcome new possibilities in your life. Embrace old traits of your personality that long to be integrated.

Spring is not only about new things. It is also about acknowledging how much your shape has shifted. You are a different person than you where a year ago. But still you feel like you. That is shape-shafting in its ultimate form.

Start of Spring: Freya as the Wicked Witch

Freya is a female shaman, a magician. In the shape of giantess Gondul she affects the fates of men. In her shape of the Great Ocean she is the Goddess of the Cosmos.

Cartoon: Maria Scrivan

In ancient times, every woman with a wand was considered to be knowledgeable and powerful. Respected, free from harm.

This spring time celebration is an invitation to get out your wand and fly!

Start of Spring: Norse Mythology:

In this four lesson course, that starts this spring, you will get access to:

An opportunity to learn about Norse Mythology;

You will get 4 dream incubations;

You will get access to a Facebook group where you can learn from others and add value yourself about the things you have learned during this course;

You will get 4 weeks of intensive training in how Norse Mythology plays a part in your life and your dreams;

THIS CONTENT IS CREATED BY SUSANNE VAN DOORN, AUTHOR AND OWNER OF MINDFUNDA; MAKING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PSYCHOLOGY, MYTHOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY EASY TO USE IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE!

What is Mindfunda about?

My name is Susanne van Doorn, I am a Dutch psychologist, blogger and author. I have been working with psychology, dreams and mythology ever since I finished my study in psychology at Tilburg University. I made this independant site to share insights, and recent scientific articles about the brain, dreams, and mythology for use in your personal life.

This posting is categorised as Mythofunda:
“Myths are public dreams, dreams are private myths” Joseph Campbell used to say. This part of Mindfunda shows you how your personal mythology can create peace in your life.

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Lidia Adaman-Tremblay is a wise woman, a Crone. The path of life for a woman, is to travel through all the stages of the Goddess: the young and fertile Maiden, the nurturing Mother and the wise Crone. A Crone is a woman who has been through hell and back, and on her travels she has gained secret knowledge.

The Moon is connected with the Goddess. The Moon grows each month, from young maiden into full moon-mother, than diminishes again, to vanish out of the sky, only to be reborn again after a period of complete darkness.

This is a very personal book, with notes of Lidia her dreams. I will pick some very interesting dreams to show you the Four Features of dreams of the Crone. Let me know in the comments if you agree with those 4 features of the Crone. Did I miss one?

The Crone and invisibility

Older women are considered to be a nuisance. In the book Aging and Becoming, written by Susan Scott and Susan Schwartz, there is a moving story about the way women, while aging, start to feel like they are invisible.

Of course, we are all emancipated, but we do miss male appreciation once we get older. It is difficult to cope with because, on the one hand, you don’t want to be bothered by the lack of male attention. You are grown up, independent and not interested in flirting any more. You are way beyond that.

But on the other hand, there is this nagging feeling in your heart. You feel like an era has gone. It has slipped through your fingers and you did not even notice that time was of the essence.

This stage of a woman’s life is very well portrayed in this dream of Lidia:

“The Maiden is being initiated into womanhood. The public ceremony proceeds (I remember little of this), and The Maiden is covered with a long white shroud, as though she is being prepared for a funeral.

Throughout the whole procedure, I am starting to feel angry and upset. Part of me stands aside and observes the ritual, which is gentle and beautiful. This part of me recognizes the importance of each element. This part is also observing what is happening within me, the rise of these emotions, and is asking, “Why? Why is this happening?”

People ignore me and a murmur of approval wafts from them. No one seems to even see me or react to me, and that one small part of me which is still objective is shaking its head, asking me what has caused this breakdown (page 119)”.

As the Maiden is being prepared for her grave, she is unveiled. Youth is gone, there is nothing more to hide now.

Ha! You dear reader are going to notice how I just explained the invisibility of the Crone with the unveiling of the Maiden. But that is alchemy!

By disrupting the process, the crowd shows so little respect for the Maiden that the Crone needs to get upset. The Crone needs to help the Maiden. This is one of the initiations a woman has when she enters the kingdom of the Crone.

THE CRONE AND Animal Energy

Coming of age, each woman has to have acknowledged and balanced out her animal side. Here is a dream that clearly shows this balancing process.

“Suddenly, all kinds of animals appear before and around me. Thousands and millions of them. They part around me, and I see them all – rhinos, elephants, every type of bear, dogs, wolves, foxes – they come at me in waves – now the lizards, snakes, scorpions, – more and more of them rumble, slither and fly around me.

I hear a voice from somewhere saying, ‘And thus will balance be restored’, as though it’s an old Cecil B. DeMille spectacular movie with the voice of God ordering Noah or Moses. But this voice is different – it’s neither male nor female, or maybe both. Not thundering, but gentle and caring. After hours or centuries of seeing this rush of animals, the last one I see is a stick-like light beige insect on the hide of an elephant – or perhaps my wall. I recognize that nature, from the trees to all the animals have been given their right to exist, pushing humanity out of its arrogance into the folds of natural existence, pushing us off our self-made pedestals” (page 276).

The animals indicate so many aspects of ourselves. Here I see the enormous number of animals indicating three things:

within us we have an infinite amount of characteristics that are innate to our being and come to us through the process of having evolved from “lower” stages of animals, characteristics of being animal that are still with us;

the characteristics within us can all be represented by animal, the power of the lion, the grace of a bird, the agility of the monkey, the cleverness of the fox, animals represent all these and more within us;

all these aspects of ourselves are also present in the animal world and we are connected through our inner states to those animals in the outer waking world, each animal representing a different characteristic for which they are the archetype for and which have a corresponding symbol within us;

The animals come in waves, to me that is a clear indication that this dream refers to inner energy, what are your thoughts about that? What does a certain kind of animal tell you about your connection to the outer world?

The crone and THE teaching of isis

“Isis was the greatest goddess in Egypt and was worshiped for over 3,000 years, from pre-dynastic times – before 3000 BC – until the second century AD, when her cult and many of her images passed directly on to the figure of Mary” (page 225).

And Lidia shares a phenomenal dream about Isis. Such dreams tell you that you have embraced the Crone.

“I am with a group of women. We are all dressed in long white gowns, and are in a large open space under the blazing sun. The earth beneath our sandaled feet is parched and dry, but with a deeply etched labyrinth clearly seen. Some of the women are setting up candles and incense at certain points within the Sacred Circle.

Isis by Laurence Bernier

Candles glitter like diamonds, the incense smoke curves into a sphere, making me heady with the rich scent. And I take my first steps along the twisting pathway…” (page 26).

Ah, don’t you love that dream? The white gowns of rebirth, the labyrinth of life. We all wish to arrive at that stage of our life that we can see our path as a labyrinth, to know that we are on the right path, a path that leads us unerringly to our Center and then back out.. To walk a labyrinth, you must have intuition, reason and trust. What a gift, the Crone has to give!

Crone and animus

The last Feature of Crone Dreams is the way they embrace animus energy. The animus is the male-part in any woman. I have created a Mindfunda Movie about male and female initiation in our current society. It features two films about male initiation: The Shawshank Redemption and Pulp Fiction and two films about female initiation: Girl Interrupted and Pan’s Labyrinth.

This dream of Lidia gives a perfect example of this inner male/female balance.

“I’m with a group of people who are so androgynous I become quickly confused as to who is who here. Their fluid sexuality presents each with equal male and female aspects. One of them approaches me and says that we are to be married. ‘Oh really,’ I think to myself, ‘since when?’ Nevertheless, I know deep inside me that this is true, that somewhere back in time, we two were pledged to one another.

We walk away from the rest of the group. At first this person presents himself as solidly male. Dressed in a white suit with a burgundy shirt, he walks with a gait and speaks as any man would. For a while I don’t ask any of the questions that are crowding in my mind, but then, after a while, I enquire, “Are you truly a man?” (page 195).

That is one of the cool things of getting older. Genderbending is a hobby of many elderly people. We just don’t care so much anymore about being gender specific.

Conclusion:

PRO

This book is best used as resource of dreams. A dream well that allows you to see what kinds of different dreams there are compare themes to their your dreams;

The author provides no interpretations to the dreams, this is a chance to try one’s hand at seeing if there is an obvious meaning to the dream itself, in-and-of-itself, without connecting to anything in the waking world. In short, can a dream stand entirely on its own and still have meaning? And, what if these were your dreams? What feelings, thoughts, emotions, body sensations arise as you read through the book? Treat this book as a collection of poems and short stories that, when woven together, are the tale of a year in the life of a dreamer;

Lidia is an exceptionally gifted dreamer, who often remembers more dreams each night. In that way she is an inspiration and an example to everyone who wants to be inspired by dreams.

CON

The author provides no context for the dreams, particularly lacking is mention of why the book was written and what the purpose of it might be.

I missed a prologue to this year-long diary of dreaming would be nice. What is Lidia hoping to accomplish by sharing her dreams?

I missed a brief discussion at the end of each month about events that transpired, dream connections to people and events during the month, and some mention as to how the dreaming of that month affected the author, reactions she had to the dreams, and how the dreaming interacted with the waking world.

Because I missed a prologue, I also missed an epilogue to sum up what this year of dreaming meant and felt like, and especially how it felt to put together a year’s worth of dreams in a book, and then present it to the public dreaming audience.

THIS CONTENT IS CREATED BY SUSANNE VAN DOORN, AUTHOR AND OWNER OF MINDFUNDA; MAKING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PSYCHOLOGY, MYTHOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY EASY TO USE IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE!

What is Mindfunda about?

My name is Susanne van Doorn, I am a Dutch psychologist, blogger and author. I have been working with psychology, dreams and mythology ever since I finished my study in psychology at Tilburg University. I made this independant site to share insights, and recent scientific articles about the brain, dreams, and mythology for use in your personal life.

This posting is categorised as Dreamfunda:
Everything you need to know about dreams. Practical How to’s, the latest scientific research, the most commonly used ways to attach meaning to dreams. This and more is given to you for your everyday use in this part of Mindfunda

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Most people want to know what their dream means. They assume a psychologist or a dream dictionary will give them instant access to deeper meaning. They even assume a dream might give them a prediction about their future. Mindfunda sets the record straight. It is up to you. Here are 4 smart questions and answers that will instantly help you make much more sense of your own dreams.

Smart Questions and Answers #1

One of the most powerful question is not to seek the answer a dream is giving you. It is to seek the question a dream is asking you. A dream wants to set you in motion. Dreams do not like the status quo, They challenge you.
Look at the small and simple dream discussed in the first blog.

“I am standing with my parents and brother in the street, and all of a sudden, a man comes running towards them and stabs my brother down“.

What question does this dream ask the dreamer? I can think of a number of questions. What in this moment of your life threatens you? Why are you watching while your brother gets stabbed? Is it time to move on now?

Any time you remember a dream and want to know more about its possible meaning, play with these kind of questions. In my eyes this dream-play is even more valuable than the answers you get.

SMART QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS #2

A very smart question to ask yourself if you want to know what a (repeating) dream means, is if you should want to hire a dream expert. As a dream expert, of course I would like you to do that. But there are some things you need to consider before you put your valuable money down to pay their consultation fee.

Can you trust this person? Even if someone has a certification like I do, people who advice other people about their dreams can put a label on a dreamer. I once attended a dream group in which a Jungian therapist called a dreamer “neurotic”. Needless to say this dreamer disengaged from the group. If something like that happens to you, make sure you get out and don’t pay. No self-respecting dream therapist would ever put a label on a dreamer.

Is my dream important enough to have clues that will help me improve my general sense of well-being? This is an intuitive feeling. It has to do with the fire that is enlightened in your soul after you wake up.

After you pay your money, what do you get? An email? A Skype Talk? A written report with action points to undertake? Is there a follow-up where the dream worker checks to see if you have honoured the dream? I always have a Skype talk and writ out a report for the dreamer. I follow-up after the dream consultation by sending an email a week after the consultation.

SMART QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS #3

What aboutdream dictionaries? Is it alright to use one to attach meaning to your dream?
This is such a complex question, but an important one to address. Online Dream dictionaries are huge. Lots of visitors. Among the majority of people who professionally work with dreams there is a shared contempt for dream dictionaries.

I am stuck in the middle with you. I see al lot of people getting stuck into the complexes they think they have. They mentally re-write everything to fit this basic assumption. I estimate about 99.995 percent of people, including myself, fall into this category. So if people interpret their own dreams, those dreams will revolve around those same paradigms. And you want a dream to show you some new information, a dream dictionary might be able to give you that. But just like a professional dream worker, a dream dictionary isn’t always right. So use any interpretation you find online in the most creative way. Let it suggest new layers of meaning to you, not definite answers. A dream can have a different meaning 10 years from now!

SMART QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS #4

What is the theme of my dream? In my eyes dream symbols are nice, but dream themes are gold. Don’t get stuck on dream symbols, look at the big picture. In my eyes there are nine themes in every person’s life.

Who are we?

Carl Gustav Jung was one of the guys who made a living out of exploring every inch of the Self and he created a model of the psyche that isn’t scientifically validated but is still extremely popular. But you don’t need Jung to answer this question. As long as you experience your life as a journey in which you can surprise yourself, you will discover amazing things about you.

Reality

A dream is a place to test boundaries of reality. A place to explore new forms of being, new worlds, new phases of life, new genders.

Culture

Usually in a dream an archetype reflects the values of the culture you are living in. We are social creatures and I am convinced that we are able to “pick” things up and pre-dream the future, even though this is not the commonly excepted Western vision about dreams. You can test it yourself very easily: try to dream for someone else. You will find out that when the emotional connection is high: it is a person that belongs to your “tribe” you will definitely pick up something.

Behaviour

What does you dream say about your behaviour? Does it give you a direction to change your ways?

Bias

Wat kind of bias does the dream indulge in? One of the hardest things to discover yourself. Usually you would have to take a step back and tell yourself the story of your life as if you are the hero.

“I am standing with my parents and brother in the street, and all of a sudden, a man comes running towards them and stabs my brother down“ talks about a first person perspective. In general this could be a clear indication that the theme of the dream is the Self of the dreamer. But the dreamer is not a participant she is an observer. Whose view is she observing? Who is the hidden dream maker?

In the first part of this dream which I vague recall, I am in a boat on a large lake – as if I arrived on a boat… I have arrived with Catherine who is in early pregnancy. I am bringing her to a woman who is refusing to see her because Catherine intends to terminate the pregnancy. I look out at the lake, its distant coastline, and the small boat that I will be returning in. The lake is calm and peaceful and smooth like a mirror. I think to myself, “I can do that.”

Now from a position of standing in the water [although I don’t feel the water] observing Catherine on the shore. I see a black bear above her in a tree. I call out to her, “Catherine, there’s a bear!” She doesn’t seem to hear me. Then I see four bears in the tree shaking it wildly. “Catherine! Catherine!” She moves to the other side of the tree I think she sees the bears and is ok.

Here the first person perspective is used but there is a moment in the dream where the dreamer looks back and sees the bears in the tree. To me this si a key point in the dream worth exploring further. If I was to professionally work with this dream, I would focus my attention on this aspect. Because right after the dreamer looks back while standing in the water, the tree of life with the four bears appears. All very strong archetypical symbols.

Where do we come from?

This theme is associated with the first theme of the Self. We belong to a tribe, we are the product of our ancestors. It is a melting pot that alchemically shapes our sense of Self.

Emotions

For many people emotions are at the core of every dream. I would never reduce someone to an emotion however… Emotions are a key to decipher what a dream might mean to you dreamer. But one of means keys, I hope that I have given you several others in this blog that you can use right away!

Consciousness

The big mystery. For years and years I have educated myself in neurology, hungry to discover the origin of consciousness. It is still a mystery. It is an accumulation of neuronal activity, that exceeds a certain threshold.
In the second dream consciousness is gradually introduced, there has been a vague beginning of the dream. I would definitely see that as a suggestion towards a new found consciousness about life and death.

I hope I have helped you to see your dream in ways that enlighten your life. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you need help with a dream.

Did I forget any smart questions you usually ask yourself when you remember a dream? Let me know in the comments or send me your feedback!

THIS CONTENT IS CREATED BY SUSANNE VAN DOORN, AUTHOR AND OWNER OF MINDFUNDA; MAKING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PSYCHOLOGY, MYTHOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY EASY TO USE IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE!

What is Mindfunda about?

My name is Susanne van Doorn, I am a Dutch psychologist, blogger and author. I have been working with psychology, dreams and mythology ever since I finished my study in psychology at Tilburg University. I made this independant site to share insights, and recent scientific articles about the brain, dreams, and mythology for use in your personal life.

This posting is categorised as Dreamfunda:
Everything you need to know about dreams. Practical How to’s, the latest scientific research, the most commonly used ways to attach meaning to dreams. This and more is given to you for your everyday use in this part of Mindfunda

Comments or suggestions? Share your thoughts:

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We hate Spam as much as you do, your information is safe with us and we will not provide your data to others. To authenticate you are human, you are kindly asked to opt-in on periodic updates as the Mindfunda Monthly.

Q & A: Questions and Answers about dreams, mythology and spirituality. As your trusted advisor on the subject of dreams, spirituality and mythology I have compiled a list of the questions people usually ask me about dreams, the meaning of dreams, mythology and spirituality.

Q & A #1: What does my dream mean?

There are several ways you can use to attach meaning to a dream. Non of them is 100 % accurate. Because it is all a question of interpretation. That is why people who try to help you attach a meaning to your dream always say that a dream is ‘layered”: it has multiple layers of possible meanings attached into all its symbolism.

I always consider dreams a kind of Rorschach test. You have vague images and you project your own meaning into them. The one problem people can encounter using this method, is that people usually get stuck into their own interpretation of the world. That is why I always encourage seeking an objective opinion when you have the feeling that a dream has a significant meaning.

Calvin & Hobbes Cartoon

Q & A #2: What book do you recommend to help me figure out what my dream means?

There are a number of techniques to teach yourself to be aware that you are dreaming while you are in a dream. The famous “hand” technique” as mentioned by Carlos Casteneda. Your hands are always with you. So when you look at your hands while awake and asking yourself if you are dreaming is going to create a habit in which you will ask yourself that question while you are dreaming. In your dreams, your hands look odd: sometimes they fade away, sometimes you see extra fingers. This can be a trigger to induce a lucid dream.

There are many techniques and supplements that help increase vividness of dreams and therefore will make lucid dreaming more probable. Galantamine, commonly used for patients suffering from Alzheimer, is one of them. There are some good books about lucid dreaming. Robert Waggoner is one of the best and most knowledgable teachers in lucid dreaming. I can also recommend the book “Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming” of Stephen LaBerge, that I used myself.

Q & A #4: Are There Ways to Improve my Dream Memory?

People often tell me that their partner remembers dreams all the time, but it never happens to them. Here are some things you can do about it. Drink water during the evening. That way you will probably wake up and have to go to the bathroom in the night. Waking up encourages dream memory. Another tip is to wake up early. Tell yourself that you are going to wake up at a certain time and ask yourself what was happening. Try to “walk back” in your mind and see if this triggers any memories about your dream.

eBook: 10 ways to improve dream memory – Mindfunda

Write down a story, any story that comes into your mind early upon awakening. your mind will get used to it and you will start to recall and write down your dreams very soon. Want more tips? Download my free ebook.

Q & A #5: How Much Sleep do I need?

This varies from person to person. There are people who function well with little sleep. For example: Margret Thatcher was famous for her short nights. But on average people need 7-9 hours of sleep each night. When you suffer from sleeplessness it is usually caused by medicine, food or illness. You can read much more about sleep in this blog.

Q & A #6: Does the way I Sleep influence the Content of my Dreams?

Research done by Hong Shue Yan indicated that if you sleep on your stomach, you will get more sexual orientated dreams. Another research indicated that sleeping on your left side can lead to more nightmares. Sleeping on your right side induced more pleasant dreams.

When you sleep and take care that you are not lying down, but sitting up, you try to stay conscious while dreaming. I have even heard of people who sleep in carton boxes to induce this kind of dreaming. It is called Tibetan Dream Yoga. Falling asleep this way should retain your consciousness during sleep and induce lucid dreaming.

Q & A #7: Why do I never have a Big, Meaningful Mythological Dream?

I am convinced that everyone has those big dreams. You might not have remembered them. You might not have recognised them. How do you spot a mythological theme in a dream? Answer the question: where am I in waking life on the path of the hero?

Determine the adventures that are calling you. Usually we don’t want to hear the call. In your dreams you are in the “special world”. If you read the archetypical dream I recently analysed, you know it is mythological. But there are mythological themes in ordinary dreams as well. You only have to know how to look for them.

Ask yourself some questions if you want to discover the mythological content of your dreams:

Is your dream about Love or about Power?

Is your dream about Heaven or Earth?

Is your dream about Life-Death-Resurrection?

If the answer to one of the questions is yes, you are sure there is a mythological theme that lies at the foundation of the dream. If you want more knowledge about mythology and dreams my own online course treats six subjects: creation, animals, woman, men, trickster and the grail. Each lesson has a multitude of questions regarding your own dreams that will make you see your dreams in a new light.

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THIS CONTENT IS CREATED BY SUSANNE VAN DOORN, AUTHOR AND OWNER OF MINDFUNDA; MAKING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PSYCHOLOGY, MYTHOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY EASY TO USE IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE!

What is Mindfunda about?

My name is Susanne van Doorn, I am a Dutch psychologist, blogger and author. I have been working with psychology, dreams and mythology ever since I finished my study in psychology at Tilburg University. I made this independant site to share insights, and recent scientific articles about the brain, dreams, and mythology for use in your personal life.

This posting is categorised as Dreamfunda:
Everything you need to know about dreams. Practical How to’s, the latest scientific research, the most commonly used ways to attach meaning to dreams. This and more is given to you for your everyday use in this part of Mindfunda

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How do you analyse a dream that clearly features an Archetype ? This blog gives you four easy steps. This is part two of a series of HOW TO blogs about dreams on Mindfunda. Each one features a case study in which I carefully, step by step attribute meaning to dream symbols. Number one is How to Use A Dream as a Tool for Self Development. Number one features a small dream. A few days later Bonnie Connelly posted this dream on her Facebook group Painting the Dream.

While I read it and admired the beautiful artwork she made, it became clear to me that this was an archetypical dream. In this blog I explain you how to analyse a dream that features an archetype. Four easy steps, four questions to ask yourself/the dreamer whenever you encounter an archetype in a dream.

Four Bears, the Tree of Life and the Pregnant Water Bearer

Drawing by Bonnie Connelly

In the first part of this dream which I vague recall, I am in a boat on a large lake – as if I arrived on a boat… I have arrived with Catherine who is in early pregnancy. I am bringing her to a woman who is refusing to see her because Catherine intends to terminate the pregnancy. I look out at the lake, its distant coastline, and the small boat that I will be returning in. The lake is calm and peaceful and smooth like a mirror. I think to myself, “I can do that.”

Now from a position of standing in the water [although I don’t feel the water] observing Catherine on the shore. I see a black bear above her in a tree. I call out to her, “Catherine, there’s a bear!” She doesn’t seem to hear me. Then I see four bears in the tree shaking it wildly. “Catherine! Catherine!” She moves to the other side of the tree I think she sees the bears and is ok. End Of Dream

Feeling: it felt powerful – like something shifted

Reality check: Catherine in the dream was in a dream group with me a few years ago, a fellow Aquarian, Water Bearer – lives in southern California now, like I did. I was 20 years older than her – we had a lot in common – and felt very motherly towards her. She was not able to get pregnant from what I understand so this speak in the dream! She has been posting a lot of political posts on FB so I am seeing her a lot these days on FB

How to analyse a dream with an archetype Step 1:

The beginning of a dream often tells you something about the main theme the dream is addressing. This dream begins at a lake. There is an undeniable relationship between water and life. Without water, human life is not possible. What defines a lake is that a lake is surrounded by land. It does not have any outlet that serves to feed or drain the living principle. It is a depression in the earth that serves to collect water and in that way keeps the dreamer alive emotionally. So you might assume that this dream addresses something about the emotional life of the dreamer.

Early on, the second dream carter is introduced: a lady named Catherine. I usually find out what names mean to see if this gives any symbolic value to the dream. On the site Behind the Name Catherine is attributed to the Goddess of Dreams Hecate, a Goddess associated with witchcraft, magic and dreams.

HOW TO ANALYSE A DREAM WITH AN ARCHETYPE STEP 2:

The first conflict introduced in the dream is the moment when the dreamer begins to dissociate herself from the dream scene. There is a shift in perspective the moment the third lady who disagrees with terminating the pregnancy is introduced.

I look out at the lake, its distant coastline, and the small boat that I will be returning in. The lake is calm and peaceful and smooth like a mirror. I think to myself, “I can do that”.

The dreamer now has returned to the earth. She looks back at the lake and the lake is like a mirror. In mythology the magic mirror lets you see things that are not apparent to the “normal viewer”. In this part of the dream you see that the lake has much significant value in it to tell the dreamer about the Self. The dreamer looks back and sees her opportunities: “I can do that”.

The transition is clear: the boat of life will take her to the next phase. Bonnie’s reference to the political messages of Catherine on Facebook suggest that the anti abortion rule President Trump signed a few days after his legislation might play a role in this dream. Copy – pasted from the site buzzfeed.com:

“Here’s how it works: Foreign organizations that take US family planning money can’t use any money, from any other donor, on abortion-related services. It’s a restriction on how they use their other, non-US government money, and it applies to providing abortions or giving any information about abortion, including medical advice or referrals — even in countries where abortion is legal”.

In that sense, the wish for dream Catherine to end her pregnancy is a sign of independency. An archetypical dream as a political statement? I would not be surprised!

HOW TO ANALYSE A DREAM WITH AN ARCHETYPE STEP 3:

Look at the progression the dream makes. The dreams suggest to embrace the Goddess archetype even further. Four bears are introduced, all hugging the Tree of Life. The three Goddesses of the first stage of the dream: Bonnie, Catherine and the lady who refuses to see Catherine, the Triple Goddess has now revealed a fourth manifestation: the bear. From an archetypical perspective the bear is associated with Artemis. Artemis is the bear goddess. In ancient Europe, there used to be a bear cult. In Athens girls were sent to Brauron to serve Artemis for one year at the temple.

The progression the dream makes here is that it takes the dreamer, who has just explored her Self image in the mirror of the lake, into a path of initiation. The bear is the dreaming animal. In the winter it sleeps for months. If you look at the drawing you see that three bears look at the left, female side. One bear looks at the right (male) side. If it was my dream, this would suggest an initiation into the depths of femininity.

HOW TO ANALYSE A DREAM WITH AN ARCHETYPE STEP 4:

See how this integrates in the life of the dreamer right now. Bonnie points out that for her, bears are connected to Chiron, the wounded healer. Quoted from the site ncbi.nlm.gov. from the author Serge Daneault MD. Ph.D:
“The Greek gods Apollo and Artemis taught medicine to Chiron. Chiron was wounded by an arrow from Heracles’ bow. He did not die (because gods are immortal); instead, he suffered excruciating pain for the rest of his eternal days. It was because of his grievous wound that Chiron became known as a legendary healer in ancient Greece”.

This brings Artemis back to her alchemical qualities of ancient Mother Goddess: she unites present and past, she ties archetypical dream – strings together and stews one of the finest tasting dream stories for the thankful receiver.

Bonnie’s final comments on this step by step dream analyses:

“Your seeing the triple goddess [the maiden, the mother and the crone [wise grandmother?]- that was a good catch! And as this was the last dream of the month of January – the first one to start the month was Titled ‘Witch Troubles’ – I just see this book cover flash in front of my eyes. So that Catherine is attributed to the Goddess of Dreams – a goddess associated with witchcraft, magic and dreams – this resonates! I like your take on Catherine’s wanting to end her pregnancy is a sign of independence – she is extremely independent – not married

Anyway thanks again for this pleasure of seeing how you work with dreams – excellent!”

Bonnie

What are your thoughts?

How would you interpret a dream filled with so many archetypical symbols? I would love to hear from you.

My next blog will be a Q&A: the questions that are usually asked when people want to know what their dreams mean, and the answers to those questions. The last blog is about the questions you should be asking when you want to know what a dream means.

THIS CONTENT IS CREATED BY SUSANNE VAN DOORN, AUTHOR AND OWNER OF MINDFUNDA; MAKING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PSYCHOLOGY, MYTHOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY EASY TO USE IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE!

What is Mindfunda about?

My name is Susanne van Doorn, I am a Dutch psychologist, blogger and author. I have been working with psychology, dreams and mythology ever since I finished my study in psychology at Tilburg University. I made this independant site to share insights, and recent scientific articles about the brain, dreams, and mythology for use in your personal life.

This posting is categorised as Dreamfunda:
Everything you need to know about dreams. Practical How to’s, the latest scientific research, the most commonly used ways to attach meaning to dreams. This and more is given to you for your everyday use in this part of Mindfunda

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Self development is on top of the Maslow pyramid, and I always wondered why.

Image: Simply Psychology

Because I have always had that innate need to understand myself better. I had no clue about this world and why people did the things they did. But I knew intuitively that if I was able to understand myself, my life would become so much easier. Because as Nietzsche said: “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how“.

Psychologist Maslow created a hierarchy of needs in 1942. I was right, his theory was never empirically confirmed. But it is a very useful tool to give someone insight into his own life. Today I will show you how a dream can give insight into the path of your own life. Six easy to follow steps. Let me know in the comments what you think about this case study. Do you have suggestions? I would love to hear them.

Self Development Through a Dream Step 1

The first thing you are going to need is a dream. If you have trouble remembering dreams here are ten useful tips.

Can it be any dream? Well, I prefer dreams that evoke emotion. Because when emotions come into play in a dream, you are certain that it contains an important message. That is why nightmares and negative dreams are relevant clues for self-development.

Let’s analyse a dream of one of my clients. It is a short dream about a murder. A dream with an assassination is a clue that the Self is changing.

“I am standing with my parents and brother in the street, and all of a sudden, a man comes running towards them and stabs my brother down“.

The dream is short, but had a big emotional impact on the dreamer. That is why she contacted me.

SELF DEVELOPMENT THROUGH A DREAM STEP 2

Now you want to get more information about the emotional background of the dreamer. This step is not always easy when you analyse your own dreams. Having an independent, knowledgable vision can add so much value to your dreams. But here is how I do it. I ask the dreamer to tell me the story of his (or her) life. So if you want to analyse your own dreams, sit down and tell the story of yourself, to yourself. You might be surprised about what you hear yourself say.

Here are the questions I use:

Who are your parents? Many times in dreams patterns from childhood re-occur. This question will enable you to search for these patterns.

What were the challenges of your parents? While growing up, children become more aware that their parents are not almighty. Some people have the tendency to “inherit” their parents’ challenges, sometimes as an unconscious way to remain loyal to them.

Do you have brothers and sisters?

If yes: how do you relate to them? Sibling rivalry is a core element of self-identification. This question let’s you determine if that is the case with your client.

What is the word that describes you best? Usefully people have great difficulty answering this question. Motivate them not to give a perfect answer, but the first one that pops into their mind. This first answer usually gives a vital direction for possible meanings of a dream.

This step can be very healing for clients. For most people it is a blessed relief that they are finally able to tell the story of their life to someone who actually listens. As an objective observant, you can add value by putting the story of their life in a bigger, mythological perspective.

SELF DEVELOPMENT THROUGH A DREAM STEP 3

Once you have the background information, it is time to focus on the dream.

“I am standing with my parents and brother in the street, and all of a sudden, a man comes running towards them and stabs my brother down“.

This is dream narrated in the third perspective. The dreamer is an observer. the man comes out of nowhere and acts violently. Because the dreamer is of the female gender, the animus immediately comes to mind. How has the dreamer integrated the innate male principle, represented by the animus, in her daily life and actions? I decided to ask the dreamer to re-tell the dream story from the perspective of the murderer. In this way, she would be able to become more aware of this energy.

“I see four people standing in the street, and I want to show them my power. I need to be acknowledged. If I hurt the most vulnerable member, I will be acknowledged”.

Now your first question is going to be: why is your brother vulnerable? (That is why you always ask about siblings in the intake). The dreamer had told me that her brother needed extra care. The dreamer felt it was her responsibility to protect her brother, but in doing so, her own strength was diminished. That is why she was the outsider in the dream story. The next step is to let the dreamer re-tell the story from the perspective of the brother.

SELF DEVELOPMENT THROUGH A DREAM STEP 4

“I am standing in the street, protected on one side by my father, on the other side by my mother. My sister is standing on the side, she usually is a bit further away emotionally in our family. Even though I am protected I am being stabbed down by a mad man”.

You can see how the dream, told by the perspective of the brother, already reveals a great dependency upon the parents. For a woman, setting the power of the anima free, usually means stepping away from her parent (and that is why you ask about the relationship of the parents in step 1). The urge for self-development in this dream is apparent. Finding your own path. What does this dream advice the dreamer? The answer to these kind of questions are found in mythology.

SELF DEVELOPMENT THROUGH A DREAM STEP 5

At first sight, there does not seem to be any mythology in this dream. But there is one symbol is charged with mythology: the knife. Knives have a place in religion and magical ceremonies so this is an invitation for you as a dream consultant, to explore mythological options.

In my eyes, (a dream belongs to the dreamer, always make sure that the dreamer knows this is your suggestion), the sword resembles the magical sword of Joan of Arc. Joan listened to her inner voices, and followed her own path. She embraced the strength of her animus. There are even suggestions that Joan actually was a man.

SELF DEVELOPMENT THROUGH A DREAM STEP 6

The last step is to take action. Self development requires action. Formulate an action point together with the dreamer. It is vital that the dreamer suggests an action point. You want the motivation to act on a dream to come from within. My client decided to sit down and write a conversation with her animus. Writing is good for the brain.

A week after the consultation, I mailed my client to ask her about her action. The dreamer had gained insights into her relationship with her boyfriend and with her parents. She told me she had become more independent and felt more powerful.

I would like to know what your ways of working with dreams are. Do you agree with my steps? Or do you follow another process? I would love to hear from you.

THIS CONTENT IS CREATED BY SUSANNE VAN DOORN, AUTHOR AND OWNER OF MINDFUNDA; MAKING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PSYCHOLOGY, MYTHOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY EASY TO USE IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE!

What is Mindfunda about?

My name is Susanne van Doorn, I am a Dutch psychologist, blogger and author. I have been working with psychology, dreams and mythology ever since I finished my study in psychology at Tilburg University. I made this independant site to share insights, and recent scientific articles about the brain, dreams, and mythology for use in your personal life.

This posting is categorised as How To

Brainfunda: articles and relevant information about the brain about how you can use this in your everyday life. Neurology, the brain all the fascinating things we find out in current research.

– Mythofunda: “Myths are public dreams, dreams are private myths” Joseph Campbell used to say. This part of Mindfunda shows you how your personal mythology can create peace in your life.

– Spirifunda: psychology for everyday with a spiritual layer of meaning, searching for the soul. Our brains are wired for believe in magic. In a world filled with rationality, you sometimes need a little magic, a little “I wonder why”. Synchronicity, the insights of Carl Jung, the mythology used by Freud, the archetypical layers in the Tarot, the wisdom of the I Tjing, Shamanism, the oldest religion of humanity, all that information gets published in the Spirifunda section of Mindfunda.

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Spirituality Quotes can really inspire you to face problems. Just a simple sentence can give you goosebumps because it reaches a core of authentic knowledge in your heart. This is the first time that someone finds the right words to capture that wisdom. Why do these quotes give you goosebumps? Because they give an intuitively correct answer to a question. This blog presents some profound spiritual quotes (feel free to share). Please comment: leave your favourite spiritual quote in the comment section and tell why this has inspired you.

Spirituality Quotes #1

“The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature”.

Human nature has us searching for the Grail. That thing that makes us feel complete. For our inner fire. Sometimes you think it is a (potential) partner. Sometimes you think it is a job. But deep inside you know that this fire is ignited when you feel that the world sees and appreciates your core values. The question this quote asks is: what lights your fire?

Spirituality Quotes #2

“Art is the indispensable psychical container as well as the inexhaustible vessel of spiritual nourishment”

In Mindfunda’s Spiritual Soul Searching, you will create a personal Mandala based on your experiences during this course. Because often, it is hard to find the right words to express the feelings of a spiritual experience. If you express yourself through art and analyse the artwork you can easily detect themes you did not notice before. Do you express yourself through art?

For instance: you can reach me through Skype to have an extended dream consultation. In one of these consultations, a woman mailed me her dream with a drawing. When I analysed the drawing, I noticed that some numbers were repeating in the drawing. And those numbers all added significance to the meaning of the dream.

SPIRITUALITY QUOTES #3

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves”.

One of the things I learned from reading the Red Book is the personal power that you gain once you decide to face your shadow. Facing the shadow is a conscious decision. It takes a certain amount of emotional adulthood and a willingness to look at yourself from another perspective. Do you ever wonder whose perspective do you use when you look at yourself?

SPIRITUALITY QUOTES #4

Do you ever wonder what mythological story you are living? Mythology seems so useless in a world driven by rationality. Dreams are a way to reconnect with your own often hidden story. You can be living the story of Persephone, a daughter who could only become a queen when she was stolen away from her mother. You can be living the story of Odysseus, the boy trying to become a man after the war in a foreign country.

Spiritual Quotes #5

“Describe me the dream of a person and I will tell you what illness he suffers from.”

Is there a relationship between dreams and health? Can you even dream about the health of another person? I think you can. I have collected several dreams of parents who foresaw health issues of their children in dreams. What are your dreams telling you about your health?

Tell me in the comment what spiritual quote gave you goosebumps. I would love to hear from you.

THIS CONTENT IS CREATED BY SUSANNE VAN DOORN, AUTHOR AND OWNER OF MINDFUNDA; MAKING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PSYCHOLOGY, MYTHOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY EASY TO USE IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE!

What is Mindfunda about?

My name is Susanne van Doorn, I am a Dutch psychologist, blogger and author. I have been working with psychology, dreams and mythology ever since I finished my study in psychology at Tilburg University. I made this independant site to share insights, and recent scientific articles about the brain, dreams, and mythology for use in your personal life.

This posting is categorised as Spirifunda:psychology for everyday with a spiritual layer of meaning, searching for the soul. Our brains are wired for believe in magic. In a world filled with rationality, you sometimes need a little magic, a little “I wonder why”. Synchronicity, the insights of Carl Jung, the mythology used by Freud, the archetypical layers in the Tarot, the wisdom of the I Tjing, Shamanism, the oldest religion of humanity, all that information gets published in the Spirifunda section of Mindfunda.

Comments or suggestions? Share your thoughts:

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Do you think all living things are connected? I think we are connected in much more ways than we are aware of.

When people start to connect, energy changes. For the better or for the worse, but transformation is an inevitable result. We add value to our live and the life of others when we connect. We do not want walls. Even though the may protect us, they leave us feeling alone, depressed and isolated.

This blog connects to Spiritual Soul Searching. If you want to find out how you can add value to your own life by connecting your own inner strength to this world, this is the blog for you.

If you have ever stood on the top of a mountain and looked down, you must have felt it. Every little thing on this earth is connected. Life is build on cycles. There is the cycle of water, there are inner cycles in your body that govern your hormones and glucose levels.

And life is build up this way to maintain homeostasis. Inner balance. Only when you are able to sustain inner balance, you are able to live a healthy life.

Connect with a broader vision

You want to do more than look at yourself as a physical unity, as a “car”. You know you are so much more than a collection of homeostatic cycles. You have felt it in waking life. You have met mythological giants in your dreams. You yearn to have a better sense of your own innate spirituality. You know that it will make you happier. Better equipped to face challenges of life.

Mindfunda offers you an online course to guide you through this re-connection with inner strength. Step by step, during the course of a month we will tune into dreams, meditations and questions about different aspects of spirituality.
We will connect wit our innate sense of spirituality. We will dive into our own shadow. We will carefully analyse dreams to detect the archetypes they represent. And finally you express your new sense of spirituality through art. Because often there are no words to express this inner feeling.

Connect with inner strength

If you think back, what were the circumstances when you looked at your life and recognised how things are connected? Once, I was flying back to Europe after I gave a presentation about dreams in America, I looked out of the window, and admired the beauty of the earth. I said to the lady next to me: “how gorgeous is this world we are living on”. And she responded: “yes, I feel blessed every day”. Looking downwards upon the trees, the mountains, the water, I could so easily feel how things are connected. Not only physically. Connected mentally and spiritual as well.

But the world is hard and you are not always on top of a mountain or in a plane. Life gets you down. When you feel depressed, you feel alone. You have lost the ability to connect. This loss happens in your psyche and is reflected in the world around you. Mindfunda Spiritual Soul Searching contains four lessons that will re-connect you with your inner sense of spirituality.

Connect with Your Shadow

“How can I be substantial if I do not cast a shadow? I must have a dark side also If I am to be whole”
― C.G. Jung

After we have explored dreams that showed our innate spirituality, it is time to take the next step. We will follow the path of the hero. We will incubate dreams about our own shadow. There is an ancient technique called dream incubation. You write a clear statement that will focus your dreaming mind into receiving dreams about a certain topic. Every dream you remember will be interpreted by you as an expression of the shadow.

This course is not about dream interpretation. It is aimed at enhancing your knowledge so you can make connections. You will discover metaphors that your dreaming mind uses and you will be able to make more sense of your life and the path you have taken so far. The course offers four incubations for you to use to capture your own dreams.

Connect with Archetypes

James Hillman, who coined the term “Archetypical Psychology” in the seventies of last century said: “dreams tell us where we are, not what to do”.
Hillman was the first director of the Jungian Institute in Zurich. An archetype is an innate, universal prototype for ideas and may be used to interpret observations.

Mindfunda Spiritual Soul Searching will devote itself to help you look for, and connect with archetypical energy. Not only the archetypical Father, but also the archetypical Mother. We will discover that archetypes represent the origins of life as well as personifying the unconscious.

This might be the most interesting, life changing course you have ever done in your life. If you take the version with personal guidance, you will get four hours of personal coaching. An objective perspective of either me, Susanne van Doorn, or Christian Gerike. You will get one coach, so he/she can mentor your process of personal growth. This way, you can be sure that repeating dream themes are detected and that your dream incubations will be more effective. It is in human nature to perform better with a personal mentor.

The Course: Mindfunda Spiritual Soul Searching

The course consists of 4 weekly blocks. One lesson each week;

Lesson 1 is about your innate spirituality;

Lesson 2 about connecting with your shadow;

Lesson 3 about archetypes;

Lesson 4: The concluding lesson is about your personal mandala;a treasure for the rest of your life.

Each block you will also get:

A dedicated dream incubation to use the rest of that week, or any time you would like to re-discover this aspect;

When you finish the course you will have created a personal roadmap for your Spiritual Self. A valuable asset to obtain inner balance. A way to seek fulfilment within. It will keep you focussed and balanced.

Add more value to your life exploring your own Spirituality. Come and join us!

An even more personal experience is provided to you when choosing the premium Personal Guidance Plan, with an additional 4 hours of One-on-One consultation.

Each week, after you have collected your dreams and answered your questions you will get one hour of personal guidance on Skype, so you can make a quantum leap in your spiritual development.

Check out the Course page at Mindfunda Courses now, just click the button to read more. The course can be paid safely with PayPal or CreditCard (Stripe), even in 4 weekly terms.

THIS CONTENT IS CREATED BY SUSANNE VAN DOORN, AUTHOR AND OWNER OF MINDFUNDA; MAKING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PSYCHOLOGY, MYTHOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY EASY TO USE IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE!

What is Mindfunda about?

My name is Susanne van Doorn, I am a Dutch psychologist, blogger and author. I have been working with psychology, dreams and mythology ever since I finished my study in psychology at Tilburg University. I made this independant site to share insights, and recent scientific articles about the brain, dreams, and mythology for use in your personal life.

This posting is categorised as Spirifunda:psychology for everyday with a spiritual layer of meaning, searching for the soul. Our brains are wired for believe in magic. In a world filled with rationality, you sometimes need a little magic, a little “I wonder why”. Synchronicity, the insights of Carl Jung, the mythology used by Freud, the archetypical layers in the Tarot, the wisdom of the I Tjing, Shamanism, the oldest religion of humanity, all that information gets published in the Spirifunda section of Mindfunda.

Why are dreams so negative? Turn open any book about dreams (here is a list of ten books about dreaming I recommend) and they all guide you into an inner conflict that needs to be resolved. Are we so addicted to the apocalypse? Or is there something else going on? Three Positive ways to counterbalance negative dreams.

#1: Negative Mindset: Human Nature

People are wired to detect negative things. This helps them to survive. So when you dream, you play out possible futures. This way, your neurons can practice.

I remember my dream that predicted the death of my father (I talk about grief dreams in my book A Dreamers’ Guide Through the Land of the Deceased). So how did that negative dream was necessary. Even though I did not understand it when I woke up, five months later at the bed of my father, a shock went through my body: I had experienced this before! It made me immediately phone my sisters and brother so everybody had the time to say a proper goodbye to my father.

#2: Negative dream as a warning sign

When I translated Kasatkin’s book about dreams and health, it became very clear to me that dreams are prone to get more negative when there is immediate danger for the dreamer. It is like they push on all the buttons and blow the whistles at the same time.

Buy the Book using this link and support Mindfunda

Needless to say there is a close relationship between your dreams and your health. Kasatkin was one of the first psychiatrists who collected dreams of his patients and was able to draw scientific conclusions about it in his book.
You might also want to read 7 symbols that tell you dream is about your health.

#3: Negative dreams as spiritual gateways

“The darkness which clings to every personality is the door into the unconscious and the gateway of dreams, from which those two twilight figures, the shadow and the anima, step into our nightly visions or, remaining invisible, take possession of our ego-consciousness.”

Carl Jung

In one of my dreams I meet Captain Stubing of the Love Boat. Do you remember the television show? He is standing for a door in a boat. I try to open the door but he prevents me. He looks at me really angry. I wake up agonised…

This was a very negative dream for me. Not being allowed to enter a portal, the door on the boat of life, it made me very sad. But did you know that Captain Stubing, played by Gavin MacLeod, has experienced a spiritual reunion with his wife Patti? the pair got divorced, but Patti asked her friends to pray for their reunion. And because they both experienced a connection, Gavin started to think about his ex wife again. Eventually he called her and they fell back in love again.

So I started to re-interpret this dream as an encouragement to search for a deeper spiritual connection in my own relationship.

THIS CONTENT IS CREATED BY SUSANNE VAN DOORN, AUTHOR AND OWNER OF MINDFUNDA; MAKING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PSYCHOLOGY, MYTHOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY EASY TO USE IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE!

What is Mindfunda about?

My name is Susanne van Doorn, I am a Dutch psychologist, blogger and author. I have been working with psychology, dreams and mythology ever since I finished my study in psychology at Tilburg University. I made this independant site to share insights, and recent scientific articles about the brain, dreams, and mythology for use in your personal life.

This posting is categorised as Dreamfunda:
Everything you need to know about dreams. Practical How to’s, the latest scientific research, the most commonly used ways to attach meaning to dreams. This and more is given to you for your everyday use in this part of Mindfunda

Comments or suggestions? Share your thoughts:

Your Name (required)

Your Email (required)

Subject

Your Message

We hate Spam as much as you do, your information is safe with us and we will not provide your data to others. To authenticate you are human, you are kindly asked to opt-in on periodic updates as the Mindfunda Monthly.

“A dream is a small hidden door in the deepest and most intimate sanctum of the soul, which opens up to that primeval cosmic night that was the soul, long before there was the conscious ego.”

~ Carl Gustav Jung

Do you ever have that feeling that there is more? That there has got to be more? A feeling that you really do not belong in this time and place? It could be that you are yearning for your soul…

Spiritual Soul Searching

We have a brain that is wired for spirituality. No matter how rational the world has become, this spiritual longing is in our nature. And it is so much better to live a life that honours your nature than it is to live a life fighting it. But that is what most people do. If you want to change that, Mindfunda’s Spiritual Soul Searching is the course for you.

In four weeks, Susanne van Doorn, MSc, and Christian Gerike, M.A., will guide you in an exploration of different aspects of your spirituality. We will not only read about spirituality, we will also do exercises and incubations so you are able to experience it. We will incubate dreams, answer questions, and draw conclusions.

After the four weeks, you are asked to draw your spirituality, based on the experiences you had during this course. We will talk about the drawings at the end of the course. If you would like personal guidance, there is a plan that provides this on a weekly basis. It is always very insightful to talk about your dreams with an expert that provides an objective vision.

Spiritual program

The course consists of 4 weekly lessons. Each week you will get:

1) one lesson about your innate spirituality;

2) one lesson about connecting with your shadow;

3) one lesson about archetypes;

4) dream examples to guide you in re-interpreting your dream journal;

5) questions to explore your own inner wealth; and

6) a dream incubation to use the rest of that week, or any time you would like to re-discover this aspect;

7) a concluding lesson about your personal mandala; a treasure for the rest of your life.

When the course is finished you will have created a roadmap for your Spiritual Self. A valuable asset to contain inner balance. A way to seek fulfilment within. It will keep you focussed. It will keep you balanced.

Spirital Soul searching experiences

Christian and I presented a similar well-received program at the 2016 International Association for the Study of Dreams (IASD) Conference in the Netherlands. In four mornings we have explored the topics in this course. It was so inspiring that psychoanalyst and author (The Gap) Louis Hagood, one of our participants wrote a presentation about it, that got featured on the psiberconfernce of the IASD. *) This annual online conference focuses on the “psi” in dreaming. Psi dreams are dreams in which ordinary boundaries of space and time get transcended.

Here is an excerpt;

“I prepared to incubate a Shadow dream before going to bed. I hold an incubation object in my left hand while sleeping to focus my intent, and decided to use the Native American dream catcher that I wear as a pin on the lapel of my jacket. Before closing my eyes I asked the dream-incubation question three times, “What is my Shadow?”

In the dream I got in response I am standing on a country road, feeling pleased with myself, when a “less than” man approaches me holding a pitch fork or trident. He pins me to the ground with his tool/weapon as I call for help from the passersby, who ignore me. I wake myself in distress, and wonder why I couldn’t deal with him in any other way. I am a psychoanalyst, analyzed three times over thirty years, a lucid dreamer for ten years, and have dealt with Shadow figures throughout, yet couldn’t negotiate with this figure. Jung introduced the objective psyche, as opposed to the subjective, which contains autonomous figures, and mine was definitely autonomous!”

We have a special premium feature for this course. You get 4 one-hour consultations; each week one full hour about what you have experienced and concluded. In this way, you are able to magnify your own inner force and get unbiased advice from a skilled coach and dream worker. Click below to find out more!

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THIS CONTENT IS CREATED BY SUSANNE VAN DOORN, AUTHOR AND OWNER OF MINDFUNDA; MAKING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PSYCHOLOGY, MYTHOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY EASY TO USE IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE!

What is Mindfunda about?

My name is Susanne van Doorn, I am a Dutch psychologist, blogger and author. I have been working with psychology, dreams and mythology ever since I finished my study in psychology at Tilburg University. I made this independant site to share insights, and recent scientific articles about the brain, dreams, and mythology for use in your personal life.

This posting is categorised as Spirifunda:psychology for everyday with a spiritual layer of meaning, searching for the soul. Our brains are wired for believe in magic. In a world filled with rationality, you sometimes need a little magic, a little “I wonder why”. Synchronicity, the insights of Carl Jung, the mythology used by Freud, the archetypical layers in the Tarot, the wisdom of the I Tjing, Shamanism, the oldest religion of humanity, all that information gets published in the Spirifunda section of Mindfunda.

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We hate Spam as much as you do, your information is safe with us and we will not provide your data to others. To authenticate you are human, you are kindly asked to opt-in on periodic updates as the Mindfunda Monthly.

Holy Nights, not one but 12 holy nights begin on Christmas eve. A time to search for wisdom within. A Time to Dream. Mindfunda invites you for the Holy Nights Event 2016/2017.

Each year, when the sun is close to the earth and the days are dark, there is an opportunity to connect with your inner light and wisdom.
It is an ancient belief that the sun, being the symbol of our consciousness, is being reborn on Christmas night.

13 Holy nights and the Darkness

According to Rudolf Steiner, the absence of light enables us to look for the light within. Just like one-eyed Odin, who sacrificed one eye for peace, had to learn how to trust his inner vision.

“On these nights, the darkest of the year, are closest to the Sun’s Spirit and this means that the Spiritual Sun shining from inside the Earth makes it translucent and illuminates everything from the inside, not as it is afterwards when the Sun illuminates the Earth from above, from the outside.”
Kristina Kain

Art by Cuyler Black Inheritthermith

Holy Nights 2016-17: The Plan

When you enrol, you create an account on the Mindfunda Courses page. This will protect the dreams you share here: only other participants of the Holy Nights Event 2016-17 are able to reflect on your dreams if you wish for them to do that.
Each day, I share a new incubation with you. At night you read the incubation, if you wish you can create a ritual that will help you to concentrate on the theme of that day.

Art by Randy Glasbergen

We start Christmas Eve 2016, December 24. The dreaming of this night is said to be precognitive for the month of January 2017. Since on this night the birth of the Spirit on earth is celebrated, our incubation will incorporate a search for your inner light and how you wish to reflect it this new year. Each day I will ask you to give yourself a gift. It can be a spiritual gift, it can be a nice warm bath, it can be a paragraph you write from the heart to yourself. You will have a nice book filled with positive knowledge about yourself when these holy nights are finished on January 6.

Holy Nights: Epiphany

Each night you read the incubation. If you want to you can create a ritual to enhance the journey inside your spiritual realm. Each night is dedicated to one of the twelve months of 2017. On the last night you will have gotten a better grasp upon your own wisdom and feeling of spirituality.

Art by Charles M Schulz

The last day we will share dreams and you will be asked to write a specific intention for yourself to embrace your inner wisdom every day. It has to be something tangible, something you can touch, feel or see. For example: you can write down at least two things that you feel really good about each day. Or write a certain amount of words on your new novel. Or study a subject you want your mind to indulge in.

An Introvert is a person who is energized by spending time alone. Often found in their homes, libraries, quiet parks that not many people know about, or other secluded places, introverts like to think and be alone.
Contrary to popular belief, not all introverts are shy. Some may have great social lives and love talking to their friends but just need some time to be alone to "recharge" afterwards. The word "Introvert" has negative connotations that need to be destroyed. Introverts are simply misunderstood because the majority of the population consists of extroverts.
(Urbandictionary.com)

introvert survival in extrovert world

When I was about 8 years old, my parents had to come to my school. The teacher used to have talks with the parents of each child in the class, in Dutch it is called “10 minuten gesprek”; a 10 minute conversation.

Inspiration is a volatile thing. I just came back from a very inspiring holiday. I traveled through England and France for almost three weeks in search for the Arthur Myth (see my online Mythology course: the final lesson is dedicated to what Gustav Jung claimed was the mythology of the Western society: The Arthur Myth).

Now, even if the children have gone back to school and I have got plenty of books to review, it is still hard to get inspiration. So in today’s Mindfunda I will make an effort of suggesting ways to get inspired.

Me and my family recently came back from a holiday visiting places connected with the Arthur myth. King Arthur is the mythological king that would unite England. I write more about Arthur and the Grail Mythology in Mindfunda’s Mythology, on online course to help you understand more about mythological themes in your life and in your dreams.

Kelly Bulkeley’s new book: Big Dreams, The Science of Dreaming & The Origins Of Religion is, a sometimes personal, story of the treasure hunt for the Black Swan.
The scientific study of dreams has collected dreams in laboratories. But most dreams are forgotten. But everybody has had a dream they could not forget. A dream that was so profound in vision, in emotion and in impact it changed their perspective on live. They are called “Big Dreams”. In his book Bulkeley investigates those Big Dreams, the Black Swans of Dream Research.

Mother’s Day, a day to honor all mothers around the world. Including the ones that did not bear children. In this blog I will tell you about how I became captured by the archetype of the mother. And how it influenced my own relationship with my mother.

"I am in a garden, outside, and I see a stone. A grey stone. When I pick it up, a whole range of grey little elephants come crawling underneath it. accidently I drop the grey stone and see the elephants running away, bringing themselves into safety"

Given that it is the week before my birthday, I always am alert to dreams that might tell what the next year of my life will have in store for me. In my Mindfunda Mythology courses I give much more information about the archetypical meaning of symbols.

st. Patrick’s day… The Irish people remember st Patrick on the day he allegedly died. March 17. Who was this guy and what did he do with snakes? Why is everything green on st. Patrick’s day? And why should we care about this folklore event? Read on to find out.Continue reading st. Patrick’s day, three reasons to join the fun

Lately I have been watching the series The Mentalist on Netflix. The show features a good-looking blond guy who drives (and there my heart melts because it is my favorite car ever) a DS. A Citroen. In America. How cool is that?

Watching the show I can’t help but notice some similarities with another very bright and rude characters: that of Gregory House and Sherlock Holmes in the series Elementary. All three men ar white and have women in their work that support them in the trouble that they have caused by being their brilliant self anti social self. Is this the the new hero?Continue reading The Mentalist: the New Hero